Perspective Please - The Noticer by Andy Andrews

The subtitle says, “Sometimes, all we need is a little perspective.” But how do we get that?

In The Noticer, Andy Andrews tells his story, along with the stories of several others of how, once their perspective changed, their actions, and their lives, changed.

In Andy’s case, he relates living under a pier as a young man after his parents died. Granted, he made some poor decisions, but at his lowest point, he finds himself crying out – not knowing anyone was listening.

Along comes Jones, a man of undetermined age and undermined race. He calls himself The Noticer. He dispenses advice and perspective like Solomon dispensed wisdom. He covers everything from love language dialects to how to find a mate to how to see your own value at whatever age you may be.

We see where Andy got his perspective. He’s read over 200 biographies, and went from a teenager living under a pier to what he is today – a best-selling author and public speaker.

In order to get my own perspective, I re-read Andrews’ book The Traveler’s Gift, which several people suggested I read after I’d experienced a devastating disappointment. It helped. That’s why I was already predisposed to read The Noticer. I was not disappointed.

Reading the book helped me to look at different periods of my own life, the choices I’ve made, good and bad. I especially liked the love language “dialects” from Chapters 2 and 3. An example: I’m a little of everything, as we all are, but mainly a dog. A dog responds to words of praise. The Bible says that an encouraging word in due season is delightful, and can be like apples of gold in settings of silver.

So if you're looking for a bit of perspective in your own life, get a copy of The Noticer, and start learning how to 'notice' things in your own life. What do you think? Post a comment and let me know.